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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27950810">Hoax (My Tears Ricochet - Part 2)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl'>Jeep_Girl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Tears Ricochet [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Because I can't do sad endings, F/F, F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:53:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,260</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27950810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeep_Girl/pseuds/Jeep_Girl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>I wrote a second one-shot because I can't let things end sadly... </p><p>This picks up six weeks after Part 1, when they were all at the funeral for Lena Luthor. Brainy takes action. The Legends are in this one. Time to fix the timeline!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Querl Dox/Nia Nal, Sara Lance/Ava Sharpe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>My Tears Ricochet [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2046947</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>115</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hoax (My Tears Ricochet - Part 2)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>FYI not beta-read, so apologies in advance for typos...</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Brainy is missing.”</p><p> </p><p>“I heard you the first time Nia.” Alex slumps down onto her couch. “I just… what are we supposed to do? I also can’t find Kara… I just feel so helpless…” Nia walks over, a sad look on her face. She knows everyone is struggling and has been since the loss of Lena. Because with that loss, they also lost Kara. It’s been six weeks and still she ignores their calls and texts. But they can’t keep waiting on her. This is important.</p><p> </p><p>Nia puts a hand on Alex’s knee. “Alex, we all want to help Kara, but she is so lost… I know we have all felt it since Lena… but something is wrong, and I can’t do this alone. I need help.” The plea in her voice and the glisten of tears in her eyes are enough to pull Alex from her own self-pity. She takes a deep breath, nods, and tries to set her own feelings aside, putting her head into agent/hero mode. “Alright, start at the beginning.” Nia, thankful that she finally has someone to help her, smiles and nods, and dives into the story. “It started a week ago…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Brainy and Nia were trying to return to some semblance of normal after the death of Lena. They were having dinner together, still just friends, though the romantic tension between the two was palpable, even now. This particular evening, Nia could tell there was something on Brainy’s 12<sup>th</sup> intellect mind that was bothering him. It probably also helped that she had a dream that afternoon of Brainy being distressed. She just wasn’t sure how to interpret the rest of it. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Nia reached out with her hand, placing it gently on top of his. “Brainy, you’ve been staring off over my shoulder for several minutes. What’s going on?” Brainy, looking deeply into her eyes, is clearly having some kind of internal struggle. “I was thinking about Lena Luthor and Kara Danvers,” he says in his straightforward no-nonsense voice. Nia and Brainy purposefully do not talk about Lena or Kara. While they never explicitly talked about it, these people clearly became some sort of taboo for the two individuals. In fact, they haven’t spoken about either of them to each other since the day of the funeral. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh?” was all Nia could manage to utter. She wasn’t really sure what to say. She couldn’t really talk about Lena without tearing up. And Kara. Well she tried every day for a month to reach out to Kara before finally giving up. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.” Nia looks at Brainy, curiously, recalling how he kept whispering the same thing the day of Lena’s funeral. Nia knows Brainy is from the future. But she also knows that a lot of information about the past is lost at one point. But apparently, not all of it. “What do you mean Brainy?” He looks at her and then looks away but doesn’t say anything else. “Brainy – please?” She squeezes his hand, resisting the urge to reach over and shake him by the shoulders. Brainy turns to look back at Nia. “Lena wasn’t supposed to die in that battle.” Brainy says with finality, like that sentence clears it all up. “Brainy, please explain further.” He sighs. “I don’t want to say too much, for fear of upsetting the timeline… but I fear the timeline is already messed up… I thought perhaps the Legends would have shown up to correct things…  but it has been six weeks… and nothing…”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Nia, slowly putting the pieces together, starts to fill in some of the blanks. “Wait – Brainy, are you saying that you know for a fact that information from the future indicates Lena did not die in that battle and she lived beyond it?” Brainy nods, like that is clearly what he just said. “Of course, the wedding certificate found is clearly dated for 2023.” He blurts it out, trying to prove that his facts are inscrutable. Nia’s eyes go wide at the information. “Lena got married! That is amazing!” Realizing what she is saying though, Nia deflates, remembering that this didn’t happen in her world, because Lena is no longer alive. “But wait… are you saying… you think this is a mistake in the timeline and needs fixed?” Brainy nods, pulling his hand free from Nia, puts them under his chin contemplatively. “I’ve been running simulations and yes, I think we should do something since the Legends haven’t shown up. There are several Lcorp technologies that Lena had yet to invent. Without them… I am afraid there will be disastrous consequences.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“Nia – messing with the timeline can have serious consequences! What did Brainy do?” Alex is still trying to process all the information put before her. But she is trying to stay on the logical, rational side of things. The idea of messing with time, even if it is to save Lena, doesn’t sound like something they should be doing. “That’s just it, I got Brainy to agree that we would sleep on it that night, and talk about it again the next day… but he never showed up for breakfast… and I haven’t seen or heard from him since.”</p><p> </p><p>Alex sucks in a deep breath, processing this information. She didn’t really think Brainy would go behind Nia’s back, not again. Or at least not intentionally or without force. So perhaps someone forced his hand. Either way, they needed to figure out what happened to him. “Alright, let’s head to his place and see if we can find any clues to his whereabouts. Let’s hope he left us some breadcrumbs.”</p><p> </p><p>Nia stands but pauses. “What about Kara? Do you think… do you think we should try to get her to help us? Especially if there is a chance that…” Nia trails off, not wanting to even say the words out loud for fear of taunting the universe. Alex shakes her head side to side. “She is all raw emotion right now. Let’s see where this leads us. If we have more evidence or proof that this might lead us in that direction… then we can bring her in on it.” Nia nods, affirming on the plan and the two heroes leave Alex’s place, finally having a new mission that breathes some life back into them.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>My only one, my smoking gun</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My eclipsed sun, this has broken me down</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My twisted knife, My sleepless night</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My winless fight. This has frozen my ground</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Don't want no other shade of blue but you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No other sadness in the world would do</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Meanwhile, across town, Kara is in much the same state as she has been since Lena’s passing. She doesn’t leave Lena’s penthouse anymore, refusing to don the cape. She has quit Catco, no longer feeling the drive to bring truth to the world. She spends most of her time curled up in Lena’s bed, surrounding by Lena’s clothes, trying to use the scent of her best friend to keep her close, to keep the memories of <em>before</em> with her. She remembers lunches, game nights, and saving the world together. She remembers the first time she met Lena Luthor, who only wanted to make a name for herself outside her family. Kara cries, knowing Lena will never get to do that now. She blames herself for that. If she hadn’t been so selfish, so hellbent on making Lena not just her friend, but her best friend, Lena wouldn’t have become so intricate in her life. Then they wouldn’t have become so intwined and the lying, the betrayal, maybe it wouldn’t have hurt Lena so badly. Or maybe, maybe Kara could have told her sooner. Either way, Lena would have had more distance from her and then she would still be alive. Because Kara being close to her is what drove Lex mad. It’s her fault Lena never got to build her legacy.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>My best laid plan, your sleight of hand</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My barren land, I am ash from your fire</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Stood on the cliffside screaming "Give me a reason"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Don't want no other shade of blue but you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No other sadness in the world would do</em>
</p><p> </p><p>It’s this self-pitying, guilt trip of shame that leads Kara down the hallway into the living room like it does most days. She finds Lena’s old obsidian lenses. And like most days, she puts them in and dives into the VR, going in to once again begin her lengthy apology to the VR version of Lena Luthor. Kara will spend the next few hours in VR, attempting to assuage her guilt by talking to a virtual Lena. Sometimes she talks to Lena like they used to talk and it’s wonderful. Sometimes she lets herself be human and programs this Lena to be angry and aggressive. She lets Lena take her frustration out on her. Other times, Kara cries and begs for forgiveness in Lena’s lap as Lena simply pets her hair. Today, well, today Kara finds herself wanting to be punished. So, she cues up fighter Lena and human Kara. She never fights back. She just lets Lena get in hit after hit after hit. Because she thinks she deserves it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>You know I left a part of me back in New York</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You knew the hero died, so what's the movie for</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You knew it still hurts underneath my scars</em>
</p><p>
  <em>From when they pulled me apart</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You knew the password, so I let you in the door</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You knew you won, so what's the point of keeping score?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You knew it still hurts underneath my scars</em>
</p><p>
  <em>From when they pulled me apart</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But what you did was just as dark</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Darling, this was just as hard</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As when they pulled me apart</em>
</p><p> </p><p>As she is cueing up the simulation, however, she hears a door open. Kara uses her superspeed to remove the lenses and then freezes and listens intently. She is pretty sure it was the front door of Lena’s penthouse. But no one knows she is here. And she is pretty sure even Alex would have tried knocking first. She tenses, prepared to attack whoever dared enter Lena’s apartment, until she hears a voice call out her name.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>My only one, my kingdom come undone</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My broken drum, you have beaten my heart</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Don't want no other shade of blue but you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>No other sadness in the world would do</em>
</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Nia and Alex don’t find much at Brainy’s, though they do find that he left his phone behind, which explains why he hasn’t responded to any attempts at communication. Alex doesn’t find any source of forced entry either. Nia settles down on Brainy’s bed in an attempt to dream up Brainy’s last moments in his apartment as Alex steps outside to make a phone call to J’onn. J’onn and M’gann have been out of the country, taking a much needed vacation. Alex is hoping they can cut the vacation short and use their psychic powers to help in the search for Brainy. She is disappointed when she is sent to voicemail but leaves a brief message about potentially needing some help when they get back to town.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, Nia has drifted off to sleep and is immediately bombarded with visions of Brainy pacing his apartment, clearly sleep was not coming to him easily last night. Suddenly, he stops pacing and his eyes light up, he clearly just realized something significant. And with that, he storms out of his apartment. Nia jumps awake, none the wiser of his whereabouts, but clearly, Brainy left on his own accord.  She walks out to find Alex in the kitchen and informs her of her dream vision. Alex bites the inside of her lip, contemplating what to do next given the information.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, lets go see if we can tap into the security footage outside Brainy’s apartment and go from there. Maybe that will give us a clue as to where he went.”</p><p> </p><p>As Alex is finishing the statement, however, suddenly the front door opens and there stands Brainy, but he isn’t alone. He is holding someone up, their arm over his shoulder. They are clearly injured. Seeing Nia and Alex in his apartment, his eyes go wide for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“Alex. Nia. Could you perhaps help me get Captain Lance here to the couch?” he finally says, breaking the stunned silence in the room. Alex jumps up, taking Sara’s other arm over her shoulder as Nia stands there, still a bit in shock. Alex and Brainy manage to lay Sara down gently, she mumbles something incoherent before completely passing out. Alex quickly goes into doctor mode, checking Sara for injuries as Brainy knowingly steps away and returns a moment later with a first aid kit.</p><p> </p><p>“Brainy… what happened? Where did you go?” Nia says, finally coming out of her own shocked silence. He looks up from Sara to Nia with a thoughtful expression. “I know what we said, what we agreed to do moving forward Nia Nal. However, I realized as I was calculating some probabilities the other day that we were missing something. There was a reason the Legends hadn’t come to fix the timeline. It was because Lex knew. He had to have known Lena wasn’t supposed to die that day from when he read the book of destiny. So, to ensure the new timeline stayed intact, he captured the Legends.”</p><p> </p><p>He can see Nia processing this new information. Her heartrate slowly increasing as she becomes even more aggravated that knowing this, he still didn’t include her on his plans. “Ok, so why go alone? Why not come to me?” Brainy takes a step towards Nia at that point and pulls something out of his pocket and then opens his palm to show her. She can clearly see that it is some kind of recording device. She looks back up to him, brows raised asking for an explanation. “I found this in my apartment. It occurred to me at that point that Lex likely has all of our places bugged, listening to see whether we had figured out what was going on yet or not. I had to assume your apartment was compromised, which means he heard me tell you what I knew about the future. And my concern about the Legends not showing up yet… I was concerned if I tried to contact you in anyway, he would know that I knew he had caught the Legends, and I would then miss my opportunity to rescue them.”</p><p> </p><p>Nia nods, understanding Brainy’s logic in this decision, but still not liking it. She always realizes one key issue. “Brainy… you only brought one of the Legends back with you. Where are the others?” At this, Brainy deflates slightly. “Once I assumed that they were captured. I began running simulations on potential places they might be. I tried several locations before I found them. I had gone in using stealth. The others all agreed to stay behind and attempt to hide the fact that Sara is missing, to give us enough time to fix the timeline.”</p><p> </p><p>Alex, who had finally finished working on Sara’s various cuts and bruises, finally chimes in. “So, then what happened to Sara? How is she in such rough condition but you don’t have a scratch on you?” Alex’s tone is a bit more aggressive than she means for it to be. Seeing Sara in front of her. Knowing that Lex is actively trying to create an alternative timeline. It’s all giving her hope again. “Lex has been torturing her, trying to get her to share the secrets of time travel.” Alex, looking back at Sara briefly, smiles slightly. “He must not know she is a trained assassin. Good luck breaking her.”</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Nia, Brainy, and Alex keep a close eye on Sara, who finally wakes up a few hours later. She is still a bit groggy and is slow moving, but she informs the group about the Legends and what had happened. She confirms that it was Lex destined to die that day at the hands of Supergirl, not Lena. So, they came back to try to change it, but Lex had a plan and caught them.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, all but one of us,” Sara says with a smile. “Ava is still on the ship; I am assuming trying to locate us or find a way to rescue us… So, if I could borrow a phone, I could get in touch with her and we can rendezvous, come up with a plan, and fix the timeline.” Alex hands her phone over immediately, the urgency in her actions becoming more and more obvious. Sara dials a number and waits, her fingers drumming on the couch as the seconds tick by. On the fifth ring, she finally gets an answer, though the voice surprises her.</p><p> </p><p>“Alex? Why are you calling this number?” Kara answers in a surprised and huffed tone. Sara smirks. “Hey Kara, it’s Sara. I’m with your sister, Nia, and Brainy. I take it Ava came to you for help?” She hears a beep as the phone is put on speaker, and then Ava speaks. “Babe! We were starting to mount a rescue mission. Are you ok? Where is the rest of the team?” Sara smiles at the sound of Ava’s voice, before frowning at having to delivery the news. “I’m ok, Brainy actually rescued me. But the rest of the team had to stay behind to cover my tracks, to give us time to go back in time and fix this.”</p><p> </p><p>Ava starts to speak but is cut off by Kara. “Is it true, what Ava said… about Lena?” Alex grimaces, clearly hearing the hope in her sister’s voice, something she hasn’t heard from her since before Lena died. “Yes, Kara, it’s true. We came here to correct the timeline. Lex Luthor was fated to die that day, not Lena. But since Lex saw the book of destiny, he knew exactly what was in store for himself and he took it upon himself to make sure it didn’t happen.” Though they can’t see it, Alex and the team are pretty sure they can hear Kara grinding her teeth as her jaw clenches. This is quickly followed by the sound of crunching metal. Sara sighs, knowing the Kryptonian just bent something out of place on the Waverider.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what’s the plan?” Kara finally asks, determination fierce in her voice and in her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>The team met up at Lena’s penthouse, where Ava and Kara had been trying to work out a plan to rescue the Legends before being contacted by Sara. It was a straightforward plan, sort of. Sara knew it was probably a bad idea for herself to return, given that she was already there, in the past with her team. Not to mention, she was still significantly injured from being tortured by Lex. This left Ava to go back in time to correct things. Kara insisted on coming along, even though she might potentially interact with her past self. In the end, Sara recognized the stubborn determination, as she often displayed it herself. Alex, too, knew there was no talking Kara out of making sure the mission was a success. In the end, it was agreed that only Ava and Kara would go. The others would stay in the present and keep Lex busy as they attempted to rescue the team. Even if it would be a moot point, this would keep Lex thinking they were focused on the present and not on resetting the timeline yet. It would give them time.</p><p> </p><p>And so, the teams split up, with Sara, Alex, Brainy, and Nia all going to attempt to rescue the rest of the Legends, while Ava and Kara prepared to time travel to an exact moment right before Kara was in battle with Lena and Lex in their Lexosuits. Alex gave Kara the tightest of hugs, finally getting to see her sister in person after so many weeks. “Please be careful,” she whispered in her sibling’s ear. Kara nodded, but couldn’t use words to make any promises. She knew she was going to make sure this mission was successful, no matter the cost.</p><p> </p><p>And with that, the teams parted way. After Sara and the gang left for their rescue mission, Ava and Kara made their way back to the Waverider and into the temporal zone. Once there, Kara nodded as Ava programmed the time jump with Gideon’s help. They were as ready as they would ever be.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright Gideon take us down,” Ava commanded as she gave Kara a curt nod in return. “Yes, Captain Sharpe,” Gideon responded in kind.</p><p> </p><p>Once they landed, Kara and Ava took a moment to confirm the timeline and location of the events. The plan was for Ava to show up and inform past Kara about what is happening with Lena, so she alters the fight. Present day Kara was to remain hidden unless absolutely necessary for her to come out. “Good luck, Captain Sharpe and Kara Zor-El Danvers,” Gideon remarked. Each woman took a deep breath and headed off the ship.</p><p> </p><p>They quickly locate past Kara, who is with Alex, preparing for the attack on Lex. They just don’t realize yet that Lena isn’t in control of her own behaviors. They sit back in hiding, listening to the conversation for a brief moment.</p><p> </p><p>“You know Lena will be there Kara. Can you do what you need to do in order to stop her?” Alex asks, clearly treading on eggshells but not caring anymore. For Alex, this ends today, one way or the other. Kara sighs, her face set in stone as her jaw is clenched. She takes in a slow, deliberate breath before answering. “I will do what needs to be done.” The finality of the statement ends the discussion about Lena. Present day Kara nudges Ava, signaling for her to approach the sisters. Ava nods, takes a breath, and then steps out from their hiding place, hands up, palms facing forward in a surrender signal. Kara holds her breath as she listens intently, hoping and praying to Rao that her past self and past Alex believe Ava.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Though neither Kara nor Alex have ever met Ava, they do know Sara and the Legends. So, upon hearing familiar names, they cautiously let Ava explain. Kara’s eyes dampen with tears when she hears that she does in fact end up killing Lena on this day, but that it is because Lena is no longer in control of her own body – that Lex used her own research against her. Ava tells them that she came back to prevent Lena’s death, to correct the timeline Lex must die today. The sisters ask for some space to talk it over among themselves. Past Kara, however, doesn’t know that her current self is with Ava, and currently using her superhearing to eavesdrop on them.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know Kara. This all seems just a tiny bit… convenient. Like, just before we are going to be fighting them, someone magically shows up and tells us that Lena isn’t actually on Lex’s side…” Kara scrunches her forehead, deep in thought. She remembers Lena coming to her and warning her about Lex. It turns out she was being honest; he did use her own research. Apparently, maybe, even against her. Kara sighs. “Alex… can we risk it though? Like, if there is even the slightest chance that Ava is telling the truth, we have to save Lena.” Alex sighs, but relents, knowing that her sister can’t see straight when it comes to Lena, ever. But that in this instance, she agrees with her. If Lena is being controlled, that is an issue and one that they need to know for sure before proceeding.</p><p> </p><p>Present day Kara sighs with relief. The plan is working so far…</p><p> </p><p>Ava and Kara set themselves up on the invisible ship, near the battle zone, to keep an eye on things as they progress. Kara call tell that her past self is clearly fighting different than she herself did in this battle. She is trying hard to stay focused on Lex. Meanwhile, Alex and the team try to subdue Lena without hurting her too badly. It all seems to be going well… until it isn’t. Kara sees it – Lex picks up on their tactic and starts to counter with his own tactics. He aims his weapons at Lena.</p><p> </p><p>Kara is off the ship before Ava finishes taking in the breath that she was going to use to tell Kara to stay put.</p><p> </p><p>Kara throws herself in front of Lena, taking a direct hit from Lex to the chest.</p><p> </p><p>Lena blinks once… twice… three times and then shakes her head, trying to figure out what she is seeing.</p><p> </p><p>There are two Kara’s laying on the ground in front of her. Alex uses the moment as Lex is distracted by the two Kara’s to her advantage. She tackles Lex, rolling on the ground with him, she whips his facemask open, throwing it to the side. Lex is smirking, smug as ever. Until he sees Alex, smiling smugly in return. She pulls out her gun.</p><p> </p><p>“Alright alright Agent Danvers… you caught me.” Lex says, though he makes no move to show he is surrendering.</p><p> </p><p>Alex doesn’t think twice as she pulls the trigger one time, shooting directly at Lex’s now exposed head, killing him instantly.</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, the two Kara’s are on the ground, attempting to recover from the blast of Kryptonite that managed to hit each of them as they collided to dodge in front of Lena. One Supergirl is looking significantly more surprised than the other. Lena finally free of Lex’s commands, bends down and takes a closer look at the two figures in front of her. Surely one of them must be a shapeshifter of some kind.</p><p> </p><p>Upon seeing Lena this close, present Kara can’t help herself, she immediately reaches up and touches Lena’s face and smiles. “You’re alive,” she says softly. Past Kara glares at her and grunts, trying to get between the two women. “Hey… get away from her…” Lena chuckles to herself, because clearly these are both Kara Danvers. But one of them is clearly either not from this Earth or this timeline. She takes a guess that the not surprised looking Kara who just exclaimed Lena is alive, must be that one. “Kara, darling, it’s ok, I think I know what is going on here.” Past Kara looks at her, eyes full of hope at being called darling. She nods and waits.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” she says, looking at the Kara touching her face. “Where are you from?” Present Kara smiles sheepishly. “I’m from a few months into the future.” And before she can stop herself, she has tears flooding down her face. “Lena, I’m sorry…. I’m so so so sorry I didn’t save you the first time… I’m sorry that I… I… I kill-”</p><p> </p><p>“Sh… none of that,” Lena says, cutting her off. She gets the idea of what happened. After all, it was her plan to sacrifice herself, to let Kara know it was ok to kill her given that Lex was in control of her body anyway. She is pretty sure in this Kara’s experience, that is exactly what happened. “Thank you for coming back to save me,” she says with a grateful smile toward the Kryptonian. Past Kara, putting the pieces together, also gives this other Kara a gracious smile and nod.</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>Kara stands on the ship as they prepare to return to the present day, staring off at nothing. Ava walks up behind her and can clearly see she is lost in thought. She clears her throat to announce her presence to Kara, who doesn’t look at her.</p><p> </p><p>“Remind me again, what will happen exactly.” Ava smiles. “As the timeline corrects itself, your memories of the past six weeks will be replaced with new memories of what actually happened now that Lena is alive. Right now, you are protected because we are in the temporal zone. But as soon as we return to your time, your memories will all be replaced. So, if there is anything specific you want to remember, you should record a message for yourself…” Ava trails off, unsure if this is something that Kara will want to do or not. Though after the events with Zari and her brother over the past year, the team had decided that this was something they would start regularly doing before going on missions. Just in case. Luckily, between Gideon, Ava, and Zari, they were able to design some new technology to store the messages so they wouldn’t get lost when the new timeline set in.</p><p> </p><p>Kara nodded to Ava and excused herself to go record one message for herself.</p><p> </p><p>She returns a short while later, eyes glistening from the tears she had apparently shed while she was recording the message. “Ok, I’m ready,” she informs Ava who nods. “Alright Gideon, take us back to the present.” She gives Kara a small, encouraging smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Right away, Captain Sharpe.”</p><p> </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>After entering National City, Ava immediately reaches out to Sara on the comms. She is relieved when there is a response. “Ava, what happened? Why is my team in National City, partying at a bar? The last thing I remember was the plans to come to National City to fix the timeline.” Ava chuckled. “That is a long story. The important thing is the timeline is fixed and the ship is here and ready for you all to return.”</p><p> </p><p>Kara gives Ava a hug, knowing their work is done. “Go, find Lena, fix things.”</p><p> </p><p>It is in that moment that Kara is suddenly flooded with completely new memories from the past six weeks. All the grief, regret, guilt, and remorse replaced with new memories. And as she is flooded with the memories, her physical appearance is changed slightly. Her eyes once dim start to glimmer again. Her mouth, spreads into the biggest smile she could possibly have.</p><p> </p><p>Ava smiles brightly in return, clearly seeing the changes in Kara’s demeanor. “Kara - don’t forget about the message,” Ava says, briefly reminding and explaining the message all over again. Kara nods as Ava reminds her about the mission they just returned from. Ava excuses herself so that Kara can watch the message in privacy. She cues it up and is shocked at the look in her own eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Kara – it’s me, yourself, you, from a slightly different timeline. Listen to me carefully you oblivious, idiot alien – You are in love with Lena Luthor. Not just in love with her – she is the one – that perfect game night partner you have been searching for. She is your sun. You’ve just been afraid to admit it because you were afraid of losing her as a friend. But also, because you were too afraid of the idea that you, a Super, could find happiness with Lena, a Luthor. I am here today to tell you to STOP IT. Stop letting that fear dictate your behavior. Stop letting Clark and Lex’s history define your relationship with Lena. You and Lena are not Clark and Lex. You are completely different from them. So, I am here to tell you that you need to go and make things right with Lena. Whether this is the first time you are watching this message, or the 100<sup>th</sup>, please please please remember that you love her, more than anyone you have ever loved before. And that Lena deserves the world. Because trust me, you don’t really survive in a world that Lena isn’t in… not emotional anyway.” Kara can see tears flowing down the face of the image from the message now as the image sniffs and tries to make herself stop crying. “Ah… look, Kara, I know you have different memories than me, but please trust me when I say – we can not live in a world without Lena in it.” And with that, the message ends. Kara stands back and takes stock of her memories. She recalls Ava coming to visit them. She remembers the battle, herself diving in front of Lena, colliding with another version of herself… the same version from the video message she just watched. She recalls how after that; the last six weeks have been a slow and tenuous patch between herself and Lena. They are just now getting back to a place where they share meals together and talk regularly again. Through all of that, Kara loves how they are slowly repairing their friendship, but at the same time, she is anxious and trying to hide her true feelings for Lena. Because she doesn’t want to ruin things again. But Kara knows, after seeing that message, that she has something important to do.</p><p> </p><p>She quickly bids Ava goodbye, not waiting for the other Legends to return before she takes leave of the Waverider. She finds herself a few minutes later landing on Lena’s balcony at her penthouse. She sees Lena still awake, sitting inside, despite the lateness of the hour. Kara gives a tentative knock on the door. Lena, who was reading a book, glances up and smiles softly at Kara. She walks over and opens the door. Kara takes note that it was in fact, not locked, which makes her smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Kara, hey, is everything ok?” Lena asks, assuming that if Kara is at her place unannounced, it is probably something Super related. “Everything is fine, I just need to talk to you about something if you have time.” Lena steps to the side and signals for Kara to come inside. “I always have time for you,” Lena says it softly, affectionately. Kara’s heart melts a little at the sentiment, knowing it goes both ways. Lena makes her way back to the couch and sits down, expecting Kara to join her. Kara, however, starts pacing in front of her, clearly nervous. “Kara, darling, what’s going on?”</p><p> </p><p>Kara, finally stops pacing, turns and faces Lena. “I have to tell you something, but before I do, I want you to know that it doesn’t have to change anything between us. No matter what, I want us to always be best friends. I know we are still working our way back there now, but I don’t want this to be a secret any longer. We both agreed, no more secrets between us, and this… it can’t wait.” Lena nods. “Alright Kara, what is it?”</p><p> </p><p>Lena stares deeply into Kara’s blue eyes. Kara stares back into emerald green ones. The seconds tick by. Lena waits. Kara swallows, takes a deep breath, puts her head down and closes her eyes, afraid to see Lena’s reaction.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m in love with you.”</p><p> </p><p>She says it slowly, deliberately, with intention so the words can sink in. But she still doesn’t open her eyes. She waits for Lena’s response, unconsciously holding her breath. Her own heart pounding in her ears so loudly, she is sure she couldn’t use her superhearing in this moment even if she wanted to.</p><p> </p><p>Which is why, she probably didn’t hear Lena stand up and take the few steps to close the distance between them. While it was only a minute in real time, for Kara, the waiting felt like a thousand years. She was about to open her mouth and ask if Lena was still there, when she feels a hand on her chin, pushing it upward. She goes to open her eyes, but before she does, she feels soft lips against her own.</p><p> </p><p>It is a soft, chaste kiss, over as quickly as it started. “I’m in love with you too, Kara,” Lena whispers it softly as she rests her forehead against Kara’s. Kara smiles brightly, finally opening her eyes to confirm that this is actually happening, that Lena is in fact standing right in front of her and had in fact just kissed her. Lena is smiling back.</p><p> </p><p>And with that, Kara is swept away in her own love, her own happiness in that moment. She wraps Lena in her arms and pulls her in for another kiss, this one deeper and longer than the last. Lena’s hands wrap around Kara as well, pulling to keep Kara close. Years of pent-up feelings being expressed in the kiss. They are levitating several inches off the ground when they finally break away from one another. Lena chuckles when she notices. Kara carefully guides them back to the ground, her cheeks flush, the smile unwavering.</p><p> </p><p>“I know we have a lot more to discuss and unpack. But tonight… tonight I would really love just to hold you in my arms and kiss you until we fall asleep.” Kara speaks with a confidence she rarely displays. But after that first (and second) kiss, she is feeling extra confident that her feelings are reciprocated. She smirks when Lena answers by taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom. As they curl up together in the bed, Kara silently thanks this other version of herself in the video message for giving her the kick in the butt she needed to get to this place, here tonight, with Lena. Because regardless of the past and all their mistakes and hurt feelings, she knows that here, with Lena, is home. And she finally has the courage to admit it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Come yell at me on twitter or instagram @forever_angsty.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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